I don't know about you, but I am getting really, really tired of the Regina Imperial Out-processing Station and the "Help Wanted" boards in the Transition Office.
I tend to fall asleep now while I am down on my luck in the local Star-Bar of a dirt-poor planet, waiting on a patron to pop in and offer drunk total strangers 50,000 credits and a starship for that easy job he wants done that no one in his company that he or she knows can do.
And magically being a member of a Free Trader dirt-side with my ship-mates and the expected unexpected happens while we're out carousing.... well, that's been done so many times now, hasn't it?
When I processed out of the military in real life, I know that I had no urges to strike up conversation with the guy processing out next to me and say "hey, wanna get together and go wander the US in search of adventure and fortune?" If there is a bar brawl, I definitely don't want to hook up with whoever brawled alongside of me - I just want to get out of there. And maybe it is just me, but I've never had any job offers or requests for help from a mysterious person (who often says someone is out to get them) at the local Dew Drop In, or the lounge at Dulles for that matter and if I did... well, I'd just smile and then pay my bill.
So why is it that is how most Traveller adventures and campaigns start? Not just home-brew campaigns, but OTU as well. I mean, look at the beginning of Adventure 00; or Research Station Gamma; or The Traveller Adventure. Practically every adventure and/or campaign begins with a variant of one of those three plot devices (and we know most fantasy RPGs use those structures as well.)
Why do I ponder this now? Well, I'm hosting a grill party tomorrow for four new potential player. I just moved to this area and we are all on the same internet rpg player-boards. They mostly play newer games (Shadowrun, Iron Kingdoms, etc.) but I got'em interested in Traveller (and, more importantly, have the rules in German for them as well) and not only will we meet and get to know each other but I want to find out which kind of Sci-Fi interests them most. If it is Alien/Horror (Death Station) and/or Starship Troopers then I can start them off with The Chamax Plague/Hordes, if it is Firefly (which I doubt this being Germany) then there are plenty of trade adventure, if it is exploration I've got a couple of newer but good scout adventures for MGT, if it is ancient civilizations there is always the Sky Raiders trilogy, Canard, and the Shadows/Research Station Gamma/Twilight's Peak trilogy; if it is intrigue... there's all sorts of stuff going on on the Solomani Rim or with the Zhodani; if it's Hammer's Slammers/mercenaries, there is Broadsword and some choice FASA stuff, too.
In other words, I want to use an OTU adventure to get that distinct but elusive Traveller feel (as I'm turning new players onto Traveller and that "feel" is what makes Traveller what is is) but also to start off with an adventure that appeals to the players favorite type of sci-fi.
Personally, I'd like to run FASA's Ordeal by Eschaar but I'll wait to see what interests the players. But even that one starts out down on your luck in a bar with a company patron. ::sigh::
The hardest thing about RPGs and writing in general is the beginning. It is also difficult with traveller because you usually start at the end of your career/training. So the most logical point to start is one of those cliches above.
So back to the main questions and point of this post (yes, I'm fishing for ideas):
I can't wait to see what turns up
I tend to fall asleep now while I am down on my luck in the local Star-Bar of a dirt-poor planet, waiting on a patron to pop in and offer drunk total strangers 50,000 credits and a starship for that easy job he wants done that no one in his company that he or she knows can do.
And magically being a member of a Free Trader dirt-side with my ship-mates and the expected unexpected happens while we're out carousing.... well, that's been done so many times now, hasn't it?
When I processed out of the military in real life, I know that I had no urges to strike up conversation with the guy processing out next to me and say "hey, wanna get together and go wander the US in search of adventure and fortune?" If there is a bar brawl, I definitely don't want to hook up with whoever brawled alongside of me - I just want to get out of there. And maybe it is just me, but I've never had any job offers or requests for help from a mysterious person (who often says someone is out to get them) at the local Dew Drop In, or the lounge at Dulles for that matter and if I did... well, I'd just smile and then pay my bill.
So why is it that is how most Traveller adventures and campaigns start? Not just home-brew campaigns, but OTU as well. I mean, look at the beginning of Adventure 00; or Research Station Gamma; or The Traveller Adventure. Practically every adventure and/or campaign begins with a variant of one of those three plot devices (and we know most fantasy RPGs use those structures as well.)
Why do I ponder this now? Well, I'm hosting a grill party tomorrow for four new potential player. I just moved to this area and we are all on the same internet rpg player-boards. They mostly play newer games (Shadowrun, Iron Kingdoms, etc.) but I got'em interested in Traveller (and, more importantly, have the rules in German for them as well) and not only will we meet and get to know each other but I want to find out which kind of Sci-Fi interests them most. If it is Alien/Horror (Death Station) and/or Starship Troopers then I can start them off with The Chamax Plague/Hordes, if it is Firefly (which I doubt this being Germany) then there are plenty of trade adventure, if it is exploration I've got a couple of newer but good scout adventures for MGT, if it is ancient civilizations there is always the Sky Raiders trilogy, Canard, and the Shadows/Research Station Gamma/Twilight's Peak trilogy; if it is intrigue... there's all sorts of stuff going on on the Solomani Rim or with the Zhodani; if it's Hammer's Slammers/mercenaries, there is Broadsword and some choice FASA stuff, too.
In other words, I want to use an OTU adventure to get that distinct but elusive Traveller feel (as I'm turning new players onto Traveller and that "feel" is what makes Traveller what is is) but also to start off with an adventure that appeals to the players favorite type of sci-fi.
Personally, I'd like to run FASA's Ordeal by Eschaar but I'll wait to see what interests the players. But even that one starts out down on your luck in a bar with a company patron. ::sigh::
The hardest thing about RPGs and writing in general is the beginning. It is also difficult with traveller because you usually start at the end of your career/training. So the most logical point to start is one of those cliches above.
So back to the main questions and point of this post (yes, I'm fishing for ideas):
- As a player, what are your most memorable, magical and unique campaign/adventure beginnings
- As a referee, what have you done differently or would like to try?
- How should we break away from the standard while keeping it logical and realistic within the constraints of the game and CHARGEN?
I can't wait to see what turns up